Experiences and Care Pathways Shared on Social Media Regarding 5 Conditions Causing Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a major symptom shared by several medical conditions. This study focuses on five well-defined chronic diseases : Lyme Borreliosis (LB), Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS or \"long COVID\"), fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Although all of these conditions are associated with chronic pain, they differ in several important aspects, justifying their choice for a comparison. The overall objective of this study was to describe the symptoms, treatments, and healthcare pathways associated with these five conditions, as reported by patients on social media platforms and online forums. The specific objectives were to compare PTLDS with the four other conditions across the following aspects: (i) Incompatible symptoms reported by patients; (ii) Different components of pain : physical, emotional, and social; (iii) Healthcare pathways; and (iv) Adherence to treatment recommendations.